12 Ways To Tame A Hyper Dog

1. Give them regular exercise

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One of the reasons you may have a hyper dog is because you're not giving them enough exercise. Certain dogs need a lot of walks and running to tire them out, otherwise, all of their energy is pent up inside them and they can only relive it through being hyper. Large dogs in small houses may also be hyper with not enough exercise as they don't have the space to use their energy.

2. Maintain a good routine

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Maintaining a good routine is another way that can help you to tame a hyper dog. Having a morning walk and an afternoon walk with regular meal times can help settle your dog. Hyperactiveness can also stem from anxiety. If your dog knows and can expect its routine every day it may help them to act and feel more calm. So routine is super important.

3. Engage in playtime

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When it comes to having a dog people realize how important it is to walk their dog yet they don't realize how important playtime is. Playing with your dog stimulates them and burns out a LOT of energy so that they are using their mental capacity too. Not only do they love it, but your pup will be calmer if play is a regular part of their day-to-day activities.

4. Identify triggering stimuli

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It may not be that your furry friend is just generally hyper, there may be something that is upsetting them and there may be certain stimuli in their environment that they do not like and it is triggering them. It could be an action, a sound, or a smell. Try identifying if there is anything that makes your dog's hyper-activeness worse so that you can eliminate this!

5. Use positive reinforcement

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Being a hyperactive dog is by no means being a naughty pup, they just have a lot of love and excitement in them. They should NOT be berated for this - n fact that will make things much worse. Instead, when they are acting in a way you want them to you have to reward them positively with praise or a treat so that they understand they have made you happy.

6. Don't overreact or shout when they misbehave

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One thing people do when they see a dog acting hyper is they shout as a natural reaction to feeling frustrated. Shouting makes your dog ten times worse as they do not understand what is going on but they are then even less calm and more agitated than before. Shouting for a dog naturally means something is wrong which will wind them up, rather than calming them down.

7. Get some dog puzzles

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There are puzzles created with our digs in mind, to allow them to engage their brain and use their energy up. Puzzles are super important as a dog that has no stimulation may get depressed. They need mental exertion just as importantly as they need physical exertion. Being hyper may stem from a lack of mental exertion, so trying out some puzzles with your dog could really help.

8. Enrol your dog in obedience training classes

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Sometimes hyper dogs just aren't super obedient and your fur baby may not be the best at following your rules. But, it's not because they don't want to or they can't, you may just not have implemented a training regime that suited them. So try some obedience classes together so that you can both learn together and you can learn how to manage them so that they are less hyper.

9. Create a calm environment

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Do you have a calm environment for your dog? Because if they are hyper then maybe you should check the surroundings and see if your dog feels safe and at home. One sure way to tame a hyper dog is to create a calm setting that helps them feel calm. Sometimes hyperactive behavior stems from feeling uneasy or nervous in a certain environment, rather than safe.

10. Put them on the right diet

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Another way to tame your hyper-dog is to ensure that they are following the correct diet. Check with a vet or a specialist about what diet is best for your individual dog as it's super important not only for their overall health but also how they behave as a result of this. So it's a good place to start when you're trying to tame your hyper dog, check if their diet is suitable.

11. Be as patient as possible

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What tends to happen when our dog is hyper and we want them to become tamer is that as soon as they display hyper tendencies, we then get stressed and also react in a way that could be deemed 'hyper' due to our frustrations. In the eyes of the dog, you are simply replicating their behavior which will make them worse. Stay patient and it will tame and calm your dog.

12. Make sure they have a quiet place that's theirs

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Another way to tame your dog is to create a space in your home that is for your dog only, a secure environment where your dog can go and feel peaceful and safe. This is SO important. Hyperactive behavior could be caused by your dog never feeling like it can have any downtime which could mean it is functioning on nervous energy. Having its own space will help tame it.

13. Don't punish your pup

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Don't punish your pup, never raise a hand to them or lock them outside or do anything of the sort as not only is this terribly cruel it will also not solve any problems, it will make them much worse. An over-excited dog is going to be much more hyper and nervous after being punished, so it simply multiplies the problem. Your dog has to trust that it is safe and then it can act more tame.

14. Have time outs

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Time out time is a strategy often used by parents, and being the parent of a fur baby definitely has its comparisons. When your dog is getting overwhelmed or it is getting super hyper allow it to have some time out in which it can calm down and then when it acting tamer, allow your dog to come back and join in si that it has had time for the energy to subside.

15. Socialise your dog

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Another good way to tame a hyper dog is to socialize it with dogs and humans. This way it can feel comfortable with other people or dogs and it can play and enjoy socialization. If your dog is rarely socialized and then it sees another dog it of course may be hyper because it has a rare chance to play with another four-legged friend! If this was a common occurrence, their reaction would be less over the top.

16. Introduce new stimuli gradually

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If your dog is hyper, take it right back to the beginning in terms of introducing them to stimuli. Get them comfortable with each thing so that they know how to deal with and cope rather than becoming hyper by default because it may at the moment be a reaction to multiple stimuli at once. So it could be a simple case of slowly getting them used to different things.

17. Get your dog some toys

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Do you have enough toys for your dog to play with? Dogs have a boundless sense of fun and enthusiasm and energy for playtime. If they have nothing to play with then they may have no outlet in the house which could result in them being hyper. Invest in some good dog toys so they can outlet their hyper activeness into toys and become much tamer dogs for it.

18. Have bonding time

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Do you have a strong bond with your fur baby? All they want is to love you with their entire being and for you to love them in return and give them attention. the bond between human and dog is inexplicable, and a dog that feels loved and secures will feel able to be tamer than a dog that does not, who may resort to acting hyper to get your attention.

19. Get them checked out by a vet

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One thing to rule out is if your dog is hyper without explanation and if you haven't tried other avenues to tame them then get them checked on by the vet. Perhaps there is a health problem that is causing your dog to react in a way you deem hyperactive. Something may be bothering them that they are unable to express to you and do not know how to deal with.

20. Don't feed them bad scraps

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If you're feeding your dog all kinds of leftovers and scraps you may be causing your dog to act hyper. If you are giving them foods that their body struggles to process it will of course alter their behaviour. So stick to a plan of foods and check which scraps are actually beneficial for your dog so that you are not contributing to your dog's hyper behavior.

21. Practice calm greetings and don't react

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When we get back to the house and we're reunited with our dog, even if it's only been an hour we're inevitably excited to see them and they are beyond delighted to see us too. If you're greeting them in an excited manner then they are going to match your energy and more, becoming hyper in response to your excitement. So make sure your greetings are calmer!

22. Control play and interactions so they aren't 'rowdy'

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Similarly, when we play with our dogs chasing them around or waggling ropes out of their mouths this is fine and fun but if you are trying to tame your dog then have playtime in a more controlled manner. Dogs are easily excited as their emotions are completely unfiltered. So it's actually up to you to set the tone of how you want your dog to respond and act.

23. Talk in calm tones

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The tone of voice has a huge impact on dogs. Their senses are super sharp, much more in tune than our own. They can pick up a lot from your tone of voice and they will act accordingly whether that is from nerves, anxiety, excitement, etc. Try talking in calm tones to help your dog feel reassured which can help tame them and not over-simulate them.

24. Ignore undesirable behavior

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It's hard to ignore undesirable behavior, whether they've ripped up your new designer bag or peed on your cream carpet. But as we said before, berating them has the opposite effect. You have to ignore the bad behavior and praise the good behavior because some bad behavior stems from fear. So ignore it so you do not actually unwillingly make the problem worse.

25. Make sure all family members are consistent

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It's all well and good you setting out a new set of rules and regime to help tame your hyper dog, but this has to be consistent. Teach all of your family members to do the same so that this behavior is reinforced. Otherwise, it's super confusing for your pup and they will not actually understand what you or other people want from them. Consistency really is key to taming them!

26. Talk to them

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Sometimes dogs are hyper because they feel ignored. And while you don't have all the time in the world to devote to your pup even though you may like to, you can still talk to them even while you're working or you're super busy. You may feel strange doing this but they will listen with rapt attention to your voice and love the fact you are interacting with them.

27. Start with simple commands

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Don't run before you can walk. And don't expect all dogs to act the same when it comes to learning and behavior. Just because you had a dog previously which learned commands easily doesn't mean that your new pup will for example. Start small and be patient and the key is to actually put a lot of time into teaching these simple commands, then you can get more complex!

28. Try loose leash training

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Start your dog on a leash to teach them to be more tame. Get an extendable leash so that steadily, over time, you can gradually release the leash making it more and more loose until eventually they have learned to be tame on their own. Don't hurry this process or the initial work could all be reversed. These things take time, sometimes a lot of time to learn!

29. Don't let people disturb their space

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As we said before it's super important your dog has its own space. And when you've set this place aside for your dog they need to know that it's theirs and theirs alone. Don't let kids crawl into their spaces. They need somewhere to retire to and this will help them feel safe and less hyper. If they do not have this space or it's disturbed it can contribute to hyper behaviour.

30. Try not to overwhelm them

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Try not to overwhelm your pup because a lot of hyper behavior comes from when a dog feels overwhelmed, It's about learning your dog, some dogs are super sensitive and get easily overwhelmed and it's up to you to help them steer clear of these situations or expose them gently enough until they get used to them! This will help to tame your hyper dog.